Chapter 174 - 174 156 Small Shop

174: Chapter 156: Small Shop 174: Chapter 156: Small Shop “The Factory” is a semi-open Secret Realm, containing countless mysterious secrets, with no clear controller. You could even say there isn’t one. Among them, the “Car Factory” is always in a state of high risk, with bizarre giant beasts and machines constantly attacking each other, staging an endless “giant monster movie”. The confident ones could even deliver meals to the front door (but those under Silver-tier never came back)… as long as you don’t get too close, you can just watch it like a movie. The “Wine Factory” is more subtle, similar to a treasure trove and trial area. It is relatively safe, and even has “door deities” everywhere to pick up. It is considered a novice area for the locals. By the way, the Wine Factory does indeed have wine, but it seems that only the locals can consume and drink it. Many outsiders tried it and ended up disappearing. Further areas? So far, there are power plants, waste disposal plants, and the like, but due to excessive danger, no one goes there. The current commercial and residential areas were originally the accommodation areas for the “Factory workers”. Apart from the extremely dangerous “office workers” who come back to sleep during dusk, it is relatively safe here. Although the overall style here maintains the big factory style of the 1970s and 1980s, it was actually discovered in the early 1990s. Experts surveyed the site and determined that it was not a false history replayed but rather a space that had been cut off. Why? Unknown. But some people say that there is a deity imprisoned here, or rather, a deity-level anomaly. In the world of the Secret Keepers, the weaker ones know too much and end up in misery, while those with a strong mentality will not pursue too much. In a sense, it’s precisely the numerous “unknowns” and “risks” here that led the Bureau of Anomaly Management and the military to jointly enforce the law multiple times, always ending with “the target escaped, possibly into the unknown areas” and “no customers on the streets, all goods sold in the stores are legal”…. Of course, the root cause is that it has value in existing. Andrey, whose real name is a string of unknown characters, is a Steam Little Spirit and a member of the small maintenance puppet-like group in the “Factory”. This tribe is responsible for the maintenance of common machinery such as pipes, factories, and living areas, and they are the byproducts and creations of the entire factory. As intelligent creatures, they have their own desires and hobbies while completing their own work… at least, such a character setup should be well-rounded. But Andrey’s hobby is a bit more special, and it gave him a slightly strange name among humans. “Novice Antlion” Andrey, is this your welcome gift?” Lu Ping’an smiled and read the title from the information. This malicious name hints at his malicious actions of luring newcomers into traps. Steam Little Spirits indeed do not attack outsiders. Their design function does not have duties such as “protection” and “alarm”. They can only instinctively counterattack blindly and ignorantly when facing an outsider’s attack, just like a broken vacuum cleaner. As a servant, he doesn’t even have a lying module, but bypassing his own limits to harm others is one of his hobbies. “Interesting, newcomer, you recognize me and follow me?” Little Andrey was a bit curious. This is his most frequently used “alley”, but as for the two “trappers” of the “trap”, they already lie on the ground. Although they were two average professionals, their swift defeat was enough to prove the strength of the young man in front of them. The little spirit was a bit curious. Lu Ping’an just laughed, his words were full of undisguised disappointment. “I was hoping you would bring me something interesting, but… this?” “Human, can I know your name?” “Lu Ping’an, the road of Ping’an, the Ping’an all the way.” “Record completed….” A flash of light flickered in the little spirit’s eyes. Once this memory had been recorded, even if it was “recycled”, it would not forget the person in front of it. “… Do you need a tour guide service, Mr. Lu Ping’an?” The little spirit asked the same words, as if it wasn’t the traitor itself. But this time, exchanging names meant the establishment of a service contract. “Of course, find me some interesting places.” Lu Ping’an smiled and expressed his needs directly. For the next while, Little Andrey fulfilled his duty as a guide and introduced many interesting places to Lu Ping’an. There were factory areas soaked in blood, where “meat blocks” were transported on conveyor belts, reminding Lu Ping’an of the processing plants in the port area. Perhaps this is where some of the products outside are made… It seems that there’s no difference between humans and non-humans when it comes to cruelty to the weak. The only difference is that one result is for sale, and the other is for consumption. “Don’t misunderstand, these gangs here… Although they call themselves churches, everyone actually calls them gangs. Uh, these guys don’t have the guts to provoke the Special Service Team. Most of the raw materials are cloned copies obtained through certain methods. Don’t they look identical?” “Most of them? So there is a small portion…” “The quality of the copies is lower than that of normal people, but they are cost-effective and cheap. If you have money, you can order specific products. If you need a particular style, you can tell me, and I can help you get a 20% discount, of course, I still get a commission.” When Lu Ping’an walked into the clearly illegal black factory, the guards only glanced at the leading Dark Elf and ignored Lu Ping’an, whose face showed curiosity. But when Lu Ping’an came out, they were a bit surprised… It seemed that they had considered Lu Ping’an as a “product” sent by the Dark Elf to their doorstep. Lu Ping’an’s calm behavior, as if he were just shopping, deterred them from attempting anything. In the antique store filled with rows of strange items, the mysterious lion head keeper posed a series of philosophical questions to Lu Ping’an. Questions like “If your mother and wife fall into a river, who would you save?” which gave rise to rather delicate answers. “Of course, I would save my mom, I don’t have a wife.” “You’ll have one in the future.” The lion head was quite human-like in its response. “No, I won’t.” Lu Ping’an cut it off decisively. The big lion head fell silent; it could tell lies, and the other person genuinely thought that way. “Just for the sake of argument, pretend she exists.” “How can I pretend something that can’t possibly exist? A purely fictional assumption can only lead to meaningless results. I have no interest in playing word games with you.” Lu Ping’an calmly looked at his opponent as if he were a child. Well, they couldn’t go on like this, so the lion head quickly changed the subject. “… There’s a train coming. On one track, there are 100 strangers unrelated to you, and on the other is your friend. You have control of the switch; which side do you choose?” “… How are a hundred people tied to one track?” “It’s just an assumption, an assumption that could happen, so it’s meaningful. Your previous answers don’t count.” “Can I know what level of friend that person is? A close friend? A girlfriend? A drinking buddy? Will my choice be known to the outside world, resulting in my social death?” Lu Ping’an’s indifferent words continued to infuriate the lion head, but it could only grit its teeth and add more “conditions.” Finally, half an hour later and with at least fifty additional conditions, Lu Ping’an replied with interest: “Oh, she’s my childhood friend who I have a pretty good relationship with. We even had a love triangle once. Whatever happens here will be reported, and no matter what I choose, I’ll definitely face social death. None of the hundred people have any connection with me within six degrees of separation… Actually, you didn’t need to add so many conditions. As soon as the question came up, I knew I’d choose ‘friend.’ The lives of strangers have nothing to do with me.” Lu Ping’an was still calm, but the Sphinx opposite him was instantly infuriated; what was the point of it talking so much! “Are you sick?!” “You’re just figuring that out now?!” Truth, undoubtedly truth. The Sphinx, who loved to talk and even nag, was left with only its head at this point and didn’t feel much like talking. But from the smile at the corner of the young man’s mouth, it seemed like he was just trying to tease the creature. “In the end, would you rather choose someone who loves you, or someone you love…?” “You’re telling another joke. Let’s not discuss whether I’ll have love or be in love; let’s define love first. Is it a chemical reaction or a sociological contract, or…” And the third joke… at least Lu Ping’an thought it was a joke, still ended in the lion head’s helplessness after a long series of exchanges. After leaving the store without buying anything (he couldn’t afford it), Lu Ping’an casually asked his guide: “If I couldn’t answer, lied, or was caught off guard, would I be eaten alive?” “No, it would just bite off your right arm. Haven’t you heard of the lying lion’s tale?” “No, I haven’t. Oh, if I lost my hand, could I still shop at the store next door? And would you get a commission?” “Yes, unfortunately, I didn’t earn any… but looking at the outcome, it’s quite good. I want to play again too. Do you have any new targets? This time, you choose.” After fooling around for a while, Lu Ping’an still received a small gift from the Sphinx. [Dalian (Young Sphinx)’s Wisdom-Blessing (Silver-tier): As a reward for defeating the Wisdom Holy-beast, your perception is greatly increased for three days.] This seemingly useless little blessing made Lu Ping’an quite happy. He even proactively contacted the guide and changed his tour-shopping plan. “Introduce me to some books and props that I can’t buy outside, interesting ones first…” What? Work? Is there work to do? This interesting place deserves a more thorough look; on paid leave… travel time should be well spent. Failing to perform his duties? Xia Qin gave Lu Ping’an three days. As an experienced office worker, Lu Ping’an naturally understood what “a day’s work given three days” meant? “So I shouldn’t go back within three days? Is it a big cleanup? Or something I shouldn’t be involved in? Never mind, it doesn’t matter. Let’s have fun first.”